Kerala Pooja Bumper Sales Plunge Amid GST Cuts and Agent Commission Slashes

The Kerala State Lottery is facing an unprecedented sales crisis as ticket sales for the Pooja Bumper BR-106Gorky Bhavan plummeted to just 26 lakh tickets sold by November 8, 2025 — a 19% drop from the 32 lakh sold at the same point last year. With a ₹12 crore top prize still on the line, the slump isn’t about lack of incentive. It’s about broken incentives — for the people who actually sell the tickets.

Why Are People Stopping Buying?

It’s not that Kerala residents have lost interest in lottery dreams. The prize remains the same: ₹12 crore for one lucky ticket. But the machinery behind the sales — the thousands of small-time agents, street vendors, and shopkeepers who rely on commissions — are now earning less per ticket than ever before. After the GST hike, agent commissions on ₹50 tickets dropped from ₹7.35 to ₹6.35. That’s a 13.6% cut. For a vendor selling 500 tickets a day, that’s ₹500 less in daily income. For many, it’s the difference between feeding their families and not.

Even prize commissions took a hit. Winning a ₹5,000 prize used to earn the agent ₹570. Now? ₹450. That’s ₹120 less — money that used to help agents cover transport, rent, and daily expenses. "We’re not making enough to even buy lunch," said a vendor in Kozhikode who asked not to be named. "I used to sell 100 tickets a day. Now I’m lucky to sell 40. And I’m still here because I have no other job."

Palakkad’s Dominance and the Shifting Geography of Luck

Amid the sales slump, one district stands out: Palakkad. The winning ticket, JD 545542, was sold by S Suresh of King Star Lottery Agency (Agency No. P 2267), making Palakkad the fourth district in 2025 to produce a bumper first-prize winner. The others? Vishu Bumper, Summer Bumper, and another unnamed draw — all ₹12 crore wins. In contrast, over the past five years, only four districts total had ever won the Pooja Bumper first prize: Alappuzha, Kasaragod, Thiruvananthapuram, and Thrissur. Now, Palakkad alone has claimed four of six top prizes this year.

That’s not luck. It’s logistics. Palakkad has a dense network of well-connected agents, better access to wholesale distributors, and perhaps — critically — more agents still willing to work despite the cuts. Meanwhile, in districts like Kannur and Wayanad, small agents are quitting. "They’re not even picking up tickets anymore," said a former wholesaler in Thrissur. "Why would they? The profit’s gone."

The Delayed Launch and Festival Fallout

This year’s Pooja Bumper launch was delayed because the Thiruvonam Bumper draw was pushed back. That meant tickets hit the streets only after Navaratri and Vijayadashami — peak festival weeks when families are spending on gifts, clothes, and rituals. The timing was disastrous. "People had already spent their lottery budget," said a local shopkeeper in Kochi. "By the time Pooja tickets arrived, the excitement was gone."

Normally, the Kerala State Lottery releases tickets in phases, with agents ordering in bulk ahead of festivals. But this year, the delay broke that rhythm. Wholesalers stocked up, but small agents — who buy from them on credit — didn’t. The result? Major offices sold out. Local shops sat with unsold stock.

Broken Promises and a System in Crisis

The Government of Kerala promised to review the commission cuts. The Finance Minister said so publicly. Months later? Nothing. "They talk about revenue and compliance," said a retired lottery officer from Thiruvananthapuram. "But they don’t see the faces of the people who make this system work. The agents are the real backbone. And now, they’re crumbling."

The data tells the story: 39 lakh tickets sold in 2024 out of 45 lakh printed. This year? Only 26 lakh sold — and counting. That’s a 42% unsold rate. In the past, unsold tickets rarely exceeded 10%. The system isn’t just underperforming. It’s failing.

What Happens Next?

The BR-106 draw will happen on November 22 at 2:00 p.m. IST at Gorky Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. The winning numbers for other prizes are already out: second prize winners include JA 838734, JB 124349, and four others, each taking home ₹1 crore. Ten third-prize winners get ₹5 lakh. Sixteen sixth-prize winners — with numbers like 1272, 3336, and 9727 — each get ₹5,000.

But beyond the numbers, the real question is this: Will the government act before next year’s bumper? If not, the entire lottery ecosystem — once a vibrant, grassroots economic engine — risks collapsing. Agents are already switching to other informal jobs. Young people won’t enter the business. And when the sellers disappear, the buyers won’t be far behind.